Fog collector or device for collecting the water present in the atmosphere

Abstract

The proposed invention refers to a fog collector consisting of a tubular structure, preferably hexagonal in shape, which supports a membrane or mesh of one or more layers to retain water that is present in the air in high-moisture environments and of a mounting structure. The modular element comprises tubular segments in the bottom part of which there are two collection trays made up of tubular segments the top of which is open longitudinally and closed at each of the ends thereof. The water collected in the mesh is guided by gravity to the trays from which the water is led to a reservoir for consumption or diverted to other modular elements.

1 . A fog collector with at least one modular element comprising:
 a hexagonal-shaped tubular structure having a top part that has three tubular segments, and a bottom part that has two side collection trays and a bottom collection tray, the bottom trays being made up of tubular segments the top of which is open longitudinally and is closed at each end thereof; the bottom collection tray has a central fitting with an outlet pipe from where the water is guided toward the building for consumption or diverted to other modular elements by means of a tubular connector with an outlet pipe; the collection trays have a protective grid on their top part;   a membrane having filaments capable of retaining water from the atmosphere, where the filaments protrude from the surface of the mesh, generating a hairiness effect for greater water collection from the atmosphere; and   a mounting structure having: connecting elements, supports with anchorage blocks, located at each of the corners of the modular element.   
     
     
         2 . The fog collector according to  claim 1 , wherein each connector has a T-shaped tubular body, each end provided with an orifice, this connector has two protuberances parallel and arranged side by side for the fixing of the membrane; these protuberances are arranged towards the interior of the module and are provided with a central hole where a strap is inserted to fix the membrane inside each module; the side ends of the module have a coupling with an external diameter slightly smaller than the diameters of the ends of the tubular segments, so the fitting can fit the tubular structure to the ends of the tubular segments; the fitting has an outlet pipe and an inlet pipe depending on whether it is the inlet fitting or the outlet fitting. 
     
     
         3 . The fog collector according to  claim 1  or  2 , wherein alternatively the anchorage is provided with a removable suction cup for fixing the modular element on the building surface. 
     
     
         4 . The fog collector according to  claim 1  or  2 , wherein alternatively these anchoring elements can also have variable lengths thanks to the plunger or piston that enters the support; additionally, a ball joint located inside the joint of the modular structure fixing system allows an arrangement of the modules with different angles in relation to the vertical surface of the building. 
     
     
         5 . The fog collector according to  claim 1 , wherein alternatively the mesh or membrane can be arranged in two or more layers parallel to each other. 
     
     
         6 . The fog collector according to  claim 1 , wherein alternatively the meshes or membranes are placed folded, forming a bellows that expands the area of the water collecting surface of each module. 
     
     
         7 . The fog collector according to  claim 1 , wherein alternatively the modules can be self-supporting by means of stakes which will be inserted into the ground to fix the system. 
     
     
         8 . The fog collector according to  claim 1  or  2 , comprising a filter in the bottom collection tray to remove foreign bodies from the water collected and make it fit for consumption. 
     
     
         9 . The fog collector according to  claim 1  or  2 , wherein the modules can be joined to acquire the size required, forming a structurally stable unit. 
     
     
         10 . The fog collector according to  claim 1  or  2 , wherein the tubular structure and the fittings allow the passage of the collected water from one module to the other. 
     
     
         11 . The fog collector according to  claim 1  or  2 , wherein the inlet and outlet fittings can be fixed, i.e. are part of the tubular structure. 
     
     
         12 . The fog collector according to  claim 1 , wherein the three segments of the tubular support structure of the top part of the modular element and the three collection trays of the bottom part of the modular element have vertical plates parallel to each other that run along the entire length of the section, with holes at similar intervals for fixing the membrane to the module. 
     
     
         13 . The fog collector according to  claim 1 , wherein the modular element has a tubular structure that can adopt any geometric shape.